A number of devices have been developed for use in securing the airway in emergency situations when endotracheal intubation is not possible. Some devices have been developed for use through the cricothyroid membrane.
One such device and procedure is shown and described in the Jacobs et al. article, Chest, Vol. 65, No. 1, January, 1974, pp 36-40, "Transtracheal Catheter Ventilation: Clinical Experience in 36 Patients."
In general, these devices require a skilled surgeon to use properly. Also, many are extremely dangerous. The present device was conceived as an alternative method to safely and quickly securing a patient's airway. The method of introduction of the device was conceived from the inventor's prior experience in placing intravascular catheters by the Seldinger technique. In this technique, the lumen of a vessel is accessed with a needle to obtain blood flow. A guide-wire is then passed down the needle and left in the lumen of the vessel when the needle is revived. A dilator is then placed over the wire into the vessel followed by a sheath of larger size than the original needle. Multiple dilators can be used to allow the introduction of large catheters.